The Malik Report

Given that no one outside the United Center witnessed the Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 on Tuesday night (the Wings won't practice today; they practice early on Thursday morning before heading to Boston for a 7 PM game that will air on Fox Sports Detroit), perhaps it's best to start this entry with highlights, albeit Blackhawks-centric ones from their website.

Here's the first period--and yes, the Hawks just happen to be making a subtle suggestion that Teemu Pulkkinen should be suspended for his hit on Mike Kostka (he was given 5 and a game; Mitchell Callahan followed Pulkkinen to the locker room only 2:55 into the 2nd period, yielding 10 Wings forwards for the balance of the game), given that they show it and everything else THREE TIMES...

I look at this and think, "Finnish league player sees player near goal line, says, 'He's got eight feet,' bumps him, forgets that the end boards are RIGHT FRICKING THERE," but that's just me. I also happen to believe that the ref called the injury as opposed to the penalty to send some preseason messages, but I'm biased as *#$%@&.

Here's the second period, and Gustavsson cetainly had "no chance" on either goal given that Nathan Paetsch tipped the first one hig and given that the second goal was tipped by Ben Smith...

And the third period highlights just kind of suck. Unless you like Chelsea Dagger.

Patrick Sharp and Ben Smith scored 1:09 apart late in the second period, Corey Crawford made 19 saves, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks opened the preseason with a 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.

Crawford, who played every minute of Chicago's playoff run, stayed in for the entire game.

Detroit's Jonas Gustavsson, expected to back up Jimmy Howard this season, stopped 21 of 23 shots in two periods. Jared Coreau turned aside all 11 Chicago shots in the third.

Chicago's lineup included 14 members of the championship team, but captain Jonathan Toews sat out (lower body).

Red Wings forward Johan Franzen had been scheduled to play on a line with newcomers Daniel Alfredsson and Stephen Weiss, but missed the game due to a sore hip flexor.

Sharp opened the scoring with 3:23 left in the second on a quick wrist shot from the slot. Smith made it 2-0 on a deflection of Jimmy Hayes' long shot.

Comcast Sportsnet Chicago's Tracey Myers notes that the game also marked the North American debut of one of Pulkkinen's teammates, who Pulkkinen was looking forward to playing against...

The Blackhawks showcased some of their younger players on Tuesday night. Teuvo Teravainen centered Patrick Kane and Bryan Bickell, while Brandon Saad played his first preseason game at No. 2 center.

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Michael Kostka left Tuesday's preseason game in the first period and did not return against the Detroit Red Wings after being illegally checked into the boards by Red Wings forward Teemu Pulkkinen.

Kostka laid face down on the ice for a few minutes and was attended to by the team's training staff. He was eventually able to skate off the ice under his power and went into the locker room.

Pulkkinen was given a game misconduct and a five-minute major boarding penalty at 2:16 of the first period.

After the game, the Blackhawks said Kostka suffered an upper-body injury.

How it happened: The Blackhawks' defense starred in the team's preseason opener. The Blackhawks limited the Red Wings to five shots in the first period, eight shots in the second period and six shots in the third period. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford wasn't challenged much, but he still kept the Red Wings off the board and made 19 saves. Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp broke a scoreless tie when he tallied a goal from the right circle at 16:37 of the second period. One minute and nine seconds later, Ben Smith put the Blackhawks ahead 2-0 when he tipped in a shot from Jimmy Hayes. The Red Wings' Teemu Pulkkinen and Mitch Callahan both received game misconducts. Pulkkinen received his for boarding Blackhawks defenseman Michael Kostka in the first period. Kostka suffered an injury on the hit and did not return to the game.

What it means: Some of the Blackhawks battling for a roster spot got on the score sheet in the win. Hayes and Smith hooked up for the second goal, and Jeremy Morin set up Sharp for the first one. Blackhawks forwards Brandon Saad and Teuvo Teravainen are both learning to play center and gained some game experience Tuesday. Saad and Teravainen struggled on the faceoff in the first period, but their numbers improved as the game went on.

Player of the game: Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook had an assist, a plus-2 rating and two blocked shots.

Patrick Sharp rifled a wrist shot from top of the right circle that found the back of the net, the United Center crowd erupted and Chelsea Dagger blared. It was just like not-so-old times for the Hawks as they kicked off their exhibition season the same way they ended the 2013 season in late June — with a victory.

Sharp and Ben Smith scored and Corey Crawford made 19 saves as the Hawks blanked the Red Wings 2-0 Tuesday night before a crowd of 20,071.

“We played solid,” Crawford said. “(Forwards) came back and helped out our ‘D’ and our ‘D’ were moving the puck great. You always want to get better every game and every day leading into the season. The main goal is to not let anything in. We didn’t give up too much so it wasn’t the toughest night but still I felt good in there. I would have liked to have maybe gotten a little bit more key situations, a couple of more shots in the slot or a couple of more plays around the net … just to get the hang of it but it was a good night.”

Late in the second, Sharp took a drop pass from Jeremy Morin and ripped a shot past Wings goaltender Jonas Gustavsson. Just 1 minute, 9 seconds later, Smith made it 2-0 when he redirected a Jimmy Hayes shot.

The Wings had two players ejected as Teemu Pulkkinen was given a game misconduct for boarding in the first and Mitch Callahan followed suit in the second. Hawks defenseman Michael Kostka did not return after Pulkkinen’s check into the boards early in the first.

“It was a nice play by Jimmy Hayes there, he had the puck and had some nice patience and I just tried to get in front of the net there, plant my butt and get body position,” Smith said. “Jimmy threw a nice wrist shot on net, I was just able to deflect it.”

Crawford wasn’t tested much, but was happy to start the year with a shutout.

“Yeah, that’s the main goal, to not allow any of them in,” he said. “We didn’t give up too much, though. It wasn’t the toughest night. But I felt good in there. I would have liked to maybe get a little more key situations.”

The Chicago Daily Herald's Tim Sassone at least noted that the Wings-Hawks rivalry will...let's say fade a slight amount after this Sunday's rematch in Detroit...

Detroit isn't scheduled to appear at the United Center until March, while the Hawks play at Joe Louis Arena on Jan. 22.

"There's been a great history and great tradition, some great battles and great wars," coach Joel Quenneville said before the Hawks went out and blanked Detroit 2-0 on Tuesday night in their preseason opener. "We'll lose that type of a rival, but I still think that in two games we can recapture that.

"It will take awhile before it loses its luster. We're coming off an amazing playoff round with them and years of some great games."

The Hawks needed overtime in Game 7 to dispose of Detroit last spring in the Western Conference semifinals. Tuesday's game, decided on goals by Patrick Sharp and Ben Smith 1:09 apart in the final four minutes of the second period, came nowhere near matching the intensity of that series.

"I'm sure they have some players who were here last year that aren't too happy with the way things went down, so they'll probably be trying to get a little revenge," Patrick Kane said before the game. "I'm sure they'll be thinking about the last time they were here and what happened in that Game 7."

...Detroit's two biggest off-season acquisitions were on the ice in right wing Daniel Alfredsson and center Stephen Weiss. Alfredsson was signed as a free agent after spending 17 seasons in Ottawa; Weiss was signed as a free agent after 10 seasons in Florida.

The Red Wings played much of the game short-handed after Teemu Pulkkinen and Mitch Callahan were ejected for receiving five-minute major penalties.

Pulkkinen was booted 2:16 after the opening faceoff for boarding Michael Kostka and Callahan joined him in the dressing room when he was given a boarding major for hitting Sheldon Brookbank 2:20 into the second period.
The Red Wings, who beat Pittsburgh 4-1 in Monday's preseason opener, were outshot 34-19.

Detroit sat many of its top players. That group included Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and goalie Jimmy Howard. Johan Franzen sat out with a sore hip flexor and Brendan Smith also didn't dress because of a sore groin.

The Red Wings will visit Boston Thursday before playing their first home preseason game Saturday against the Bruins at Joe Louis Arena.

The game was Chicago's first in the preseason.

Goalie Corey Crawford made all 19 saves in going the distance for the Blackhawks.

NOTES: The Red Wings were 0-for-2 on the power play; Chicago was 0-for-6. ... Detroit was hit with 36 penalty minutes to Chicago's eight. ... Daniel Alfredsson was minus-2 for the Red Wings. ... Drew Miller led the Red Wings with five shots on goal.

Ice time: Ericsson led the team with 27:09; Kronwall played 25:34; Alfredsson played 22:40;

Weiss played 21:05; Ouellet played 19:40; Bertuzzi played 18:40;

Sproul played 18:30; Miller played 17:36; Nyquist played 16:44;

Emmerton played 16:30; Sheahan played 16:12; Lashoff played 14:59;

Eaves played 13:25; Paetsch played 13:23; Jurco played 10:33;

Athanasiou played 10:01; Callahan played 2:18; Pulkkinen played for six seconds.

While Comcast Sportsnet Chicago offers a lovely clip of their "Chicago Sports Talk" show in which some dimwit claims that the Hawks will capture 4 of the next 10 Stanley Cups, because, you know, they're like one of only four teams that plays in the playoffs, and others agree with him...

Comcast Sportsnet Chicago's Nina Falcone snagged the only quotes from the Red Wings' locker room, speaking with Daniel Alfredsson about his first official game as a Red Wing...Well, preseason game, anyway:

"It's always fun when the season starts again, to be honest it doesn't feel that different," he said. "You dress for the team and you're playing a game, and the only jerseys you're really looking at is the other team's. It hasn't been like 'oh my God,' that kind of feeling for me so far ... it's been a fun time for me so far."

Alfredsson's not the only one excited about his new beginning in Detroit. Following the Blackhawks' 2-0 victory, his teammates had plenty of good things to say about the talent and leadership he's already providing both on and off the ice.

"(Alfredsson's) been in the League for 17 years now, and we’re very happy that he chose to go to Detroit," Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist said. "He’s such a good player still and brings so much to the locker room. He also works very hard off the ice, so he’s another guy in this locker room that you can really look up to and learn a lot from. It will also be cool to tell your kids one day that you played with him.”

If there's one thing Alfredsson wants to bring to his new team, it's experience.

"I think (the Red Wings) have a really good veteran core here already and at the same time they have some really young guys coming up, and I think that's a really good mix to have," he said. "I think for me, I play a pretty solid two-way game ... I think I can really help because they don't really have right-handed defensemen, and I'm going to try to play the point here early on and see how it goes."

And yes, in Finland, Iltahleti, YLE and MTV3 noted that Pulkkinen was thrown out of the game after a six-second shift.

“It's going to be nice to play against Chicago,” said Pulkkinen, who produced three goals and five points in 14 AHL playoff games. “I heard there's going to be lots of people watching the game. I can't wait for the game to start. Just play hard and battle hard.”

Pulkkinen played in more than four seasons with Jokerit where he established himself as a natural goal-scorer, who can be a play-maker as well as a physical presence. He collected 49 goals and 79 assists in 185 career games in the top Finnish league. While the smaller rinks in North America will likely take some time to adjust, Pulkkinen is confident in his ability to assimilate to the American Hockey League.

“You have less room, you have to decide right away when you get the puck what you're going to do next,” Pulkkinen said. “Of course, I want to shoot the puck, but I know I have to play hard. I'm not the biggest guy. I have to skate hard every shift and play hard and battle hard. I like to shoot and score, but it's not easy to score at this level, so I just have to work hard and when I have chance to shoot I hope I can find the net.”

...

“The big thing is just competing on every shot,” Coreau said. “Petr and I get along really well. He's a great guy, really good goalie. We're going to push each other, hopefully it's a healthy competition and we learn from each other throughout the year. If he moves on, then it opens the door for me a little more, but I just got to work for everything, any game I get, just got to take the opportunity and make the most of it.”

Like fellow undrafted rookie free agent Danny DeKeyser, Coreau said he had offers from other NHL clubs, however, the intrigue of playing for an Original Six franchise with a rich history and culture was hard to pass up.

“My agent said from top to bottom it's some of the best guys he's ever known,” Coreau said, of the Wings’ staff. “They have a great track record for developing players. I know I'm not going to come into the NHL this year and compete with (Jimmy) Howard. It's a process. I respect the process.”

And he spoke to Tomas Jurco as well:

“I’m excited to play in Chicago,” Jurco said. “After they won the Cup, it's going to be great to play there. I'm going to do my best to play really good and show I can play on the next level.”

“He’s gotten way stronger, he came in at 197 pounds, significantly stronger than heavier than last time,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said Tuesday. “One day he might be 210, but for right now, it’s still great advancement for him.”

The added strength will be important for DeKeyser, who’ll tackle his first 82-game NHL schedule.

The Red Wings signed DeKeyser, a college free agent, after his season ended at Western Michigan. He played in 11 games before suffering a broken right thumb in Game 2 of the first-round playoff series against the Ducks. The most games DeKeyser has played is 58, when he was in a junior league.

“It’ll be a little bit of a jump, but you just have to take care of your body every night after games,” DeKeyser said. “After practices, make sure you’re doing all the right things. The other thing is watching some of the older guys and how they take care of themselves. I just got a little bit stronger, had to put on a few pounds which I did. It’s a longer season. I have to be ready for it.”

The amazing thing about DeKeyser’s odyssey last season was the way he handled himself on and off the ice. Unfazed and comfortable with his surroundings, DeKeyser looked and played like a veteran.

“We have a lot of veteran guys who made the transition easy coming in here,” DeKeyser said. “The guys give you confidence and make you feel comfortable, and when you play with good players they make you better.”

And at the other end of the spectrum, the Free Press's Helene St. James discussed Mikael Samuelsson's desire to keep his job as a 36-year-old who's impossible to move but possible to sit:

“We’ve got kids knocking on the door,” coach Mike Babcock said. “So now we have real NHL players that can’t play here.”

Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist are in the “kids” group, but it isn’t just the young set: Samuelsson, who notched a power-play assist in Monday’s 4-1 exhibition victory at Pittsburgh, is battling for minutes with fellow veterans Todd Bertuzzi, Patrick Eaves and Jordin Tootoo as the team is flush with wingers.

“As an organization, it’s great for them,” Samuelsson said. “The pressure is on right away. If you can’t handle it, you shouldn’t be here. It’s fun, too — you’ve got to look at it that way. For me, I have to earn a spot.”

Samuelsson is eager to forget the first half of 2013. He went through the lockout-shortened season segueing from one injury to another, culminating in a low point in Nashville when, just as he was returning from one injury, he was hit by a shot during the morning skate and suffered a broken finger. He played only four games, plus five in the playoffs.

“I didn’t play my best last year,” Samuelsson said, “but it had its reasons. What are you going to do if you’re injured?”

Had Samuelsson been fully healthy by July, the Wings would have looked at buying out the last year of his contract, which would have knocked $3 million off their salary cap. Now he’s at camp, competing for a job.

“There will be changes you don’t expect,” Samuelsson said. “Just work your butt off and see where it takes you. There are lots of forwards, you have to perform. Nothing is written in stone.”

6. Saginaw Spirit: One of the other teams who will be in a dog fight for the West Division, the Spirit's strength is in net, where Jake Paterson is possibly the top goaltender in the league. He's coming into the OHL season with a ton of confidence after winning the Traverse City tournament with the Detroit Red Wings' group. He'll also be looking to impress Team Canada WJC staff in hopes of being the team's starter. The defense in front of him is an unheralded group.

Value Plays: There is something to be said about the consistency in LW Johan Franzen's production. He's scored between 0.72 and 0.83 points per game in each of the last five seasons. He's never scored 60 points, but has topped 55 three times, scoring more than 25 goals four times in his career. If he's playing on the Wings' second line, that might hurt his numbers a little, but lines can change and Detroit's second line will get favourable matchups, so 33-year-old Franzen is still a viable No. 2 left wing for fantasy owners.

One of the offseason shock waves was the Red Wings signing longtime Ottawa Senators RW Daniel Alfredsson. While Alfredsson is coming off a postseason in which he scored 10 points in 10 games, he's 40-years-old and his production, naturally, is declining. As a No.4 right wing, sure, he provides value, but don't expect Alfie in his prime numbers just because he's wearing a new sweater.

Sleepers/Breakthrough: It's not as if C Stephen Weiss is going to fly under the radar, moving from Florida to Detroit, but after a season shortened by wrist surgery (during which he had four points and a minus-13 rating in 17 games), his value will be at a low point, especially when compared to the previous four seasons, as he scored 227 points, good enough for 49th in the league.

It's always a risk to invest in a player based on the linemates whose coattails he's expected to ride, but if RW Justin Abdelkader is going to line up with Datsyuk and Zetterberg, he can't be ignored in deep leagues. He's 26-years-old with 60 points in 257 career games, but finished last season with nine goals in his final 20 games, perhaps an indication that the hard-driving winger could be a 20-goal scorer in the right situation and situations don't get much better than playing with Datsyuk and Zetterberg.

A skilled forward who appears ticketed for a spot on the Wings' third line to start the year, Gustav Nyquist has 13 points in 40 NHL games over the last couple seasons, but he's shown skill which is backed up by 118 points in 114 AHL games, so he ought to be considered an upwardly-mobile sleeper on the Red Wings' depth chart.

Rookies: 22-year-old LW Tomas Tatar has already played four AHL seasons, scoring 71 goals and 164 points in 207 games over the last three seasons, punctuated by his scoring 16 goals in 24 playoff games on Grand Rapids' way to the Calder Cup. He also has eight points in 27 career NHL games, so he's due for a longer look and, perhaps more importantly, isn't exempt from waivers this year. If the Wings want to send him down, Tatar will likely be toiling for another team because it's time to see if he can score at the next level.

No. Just no.

USA Today's Kevin Allen also penned a list of "10 Newcomers" who he expects to improve their new employers' respective steads...

-Center Stephen Weiss (Detroit Red Wings): The Red Wings received much attention for signing future Hall of Famer Daniel Alfredsson, but Weiss is the key signing because he will give them a 50 to 60 points at center for the next five seasons. He will help revitalize the team's offense.

The 7&4 News's Harrison Beeby posited a video in which the Wings talk about moving to the Eastern Conference...

You may take these for what you will...

On Monday, Johan Franzen was looking forward to game with Daniel Alfredsson & Stephen Weiss b/c "I'm sick and tired of my old teammates."

The Grand Rapids Griffins on Tuesday announced the hiring of Kelsey Perras as corporate sales fulfillment coordinator, Alan Cross as public relations manager, Marissa Malson as social media sales and marketing manager, and Nathan Hone as video coordinator.

Joining the Griffins’ staff full time after serving as a public relations intern during the 2012-13 season, Perras now assists the corporate sales department in fulfilling sponsorship agreements and spearheads the Griffins Kids Club. A 2012 graduate of Grand Valley State University and native of Grand Rapids, Perras also completed an internship with the West Michigan Sports Commission.

Cross returns to the public relations department after working as an intern last season. His professional experience is rooted in hospitality and customer service, and he previously completed an internship with Choice Hotels International. Cross graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2010 with a bachelor’s in theatre and hospitality and tourism management. He currently resides in Grandville.

A native of Grand Rapids, Malson joins the organization after having worked as the community manager for Ignite Social Media, where she successfully managed the social media accounts of Proctor & Gamble. A 2011 graduate of the University of Dayton, Marissa has interned with the Indianapolis Colts and West Michigan Sports Commission, and she served as social media specialist for ArtPrize 2012.

A 2013 graduate of Western Michigan University, Hone will oversee the production and execution of all video projects for the Griffins. During his time at Western Michigan, he completed freelance video work for a variety of musicians, athletes and small businesses around the state. Most recently, Hone worked for diversity keynote speaker Steve L. Robbins, turning his speeches into a series of training videos.

And finally, I'm closing in on 200 hours of work over the past two weeks. Because my brain is mush and my body is falling apart, I'm taking advantage of the Wings' "off day" by having chosen to spend one more day in Traverse City--to sleep at the hotel--and I will simply not be around today. Paul will cover any breaking Wings news...

Tomorrow, a.k.a. Thursday, I am going to be making the 230-mile trip to South Lyon, and one of the little old ladies I live with asked me to bring her some onion rings from the Lone Pine Restaurant, so I'll miss the Wings' morning skate news, and will probably still be exhausted, so...FSD! Watch the game! Talk about it! I may or may not be coherent at the time!

I am hoping to return to work on Friday, but if I'm still as fried as I am now, I may not return until Saturday. The Wings host Boston then (no TV, I think it's on the radio), and I'm attending that game--as a paying fan, with my pal Terry.

I hope I've earned my keep over the past two weeks and I hope to continue earning it going forward.

You know what bothers me about the Pulkkinen hit; is Kostka looks over his shoulder sees Pulk coming, and instead of getting along the boards tight or turning to face him, he just turned his back to him even more. While Pulkkinen has to be in control of how he hits Kostka, Kostka must also be responsible for the way he takes a hit (for example, not turning your back to a player 5 feet from the boards).

I know many players do that now to try and protect the puck, and feel that a player will let up if he sees the numbers (why youth hockey players have a stop sign on the back of their jerseys), but I remember when there was an onus on the player taking a hit, were responsible for their own body positioning.

I feel in this day and age, the league needs to take into consideration for suspensions whether a player purposely takes a run at a guy from behind, or if the player being checked put himself in danger. This play here was definitely the latter. Kostka knew what was coming and still put himself in danger.

I expect the 5 and game is all that will be given to Pulk, especially since it was a first time offense. Then again we saw Smith have to serve a lengthy suspension for his first one, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Pulkkinen gets 3-5 games for that either.

I look at this and think, “Finnish league player sees player near goal line, says, ‘He’s got eight feet,’ bumps him, forgets that the end boards are RIGHT FRICKING THERE,” but that’s just me. I also happen to believe that the ref called the injury as opposed to the penalty to send some preseason messages, but I’m biased as *#$%@&.

See, I think this is actually exactly why he should be suspended. I think you’re probably right George—it certainly doesn’t look like there was intent, but I think suspending him for a couple games sends an important message to a young player without NHL experience that, you can’t fly into the end boards like a rocket, you have to give yourself time and space to react and learn to ease up when a guy is off the boards. The speed at which Pulkkinen came in was more alarming to me than the “boarding” itself because I think if he comes in with more control of his pace, he’s more likely to realize the Hawks’ player is vulnerable, and then be able to ease off.

5 or more games seems excessive for sure, but a couple games won’t hurt the kid. Call it a hard lesson in how much quicker things sneak up on you (or how much quicker you unexpectedly sneak up on them) in the NHL rink.

About The Malik Report

The Malik Report is a destination for all things Red Wings-related. I offer biased, perhaps unprofessional-at-times and verbose coverage of my favorite team, their prospects and developmental affiliates. I've joined the Kukla's Korner family with five years of blogging under my belt, and I hope you'll find almost everything you need to follow your Red Wings at a place where all opinions are created equal and we're all friends, talking about hockey and the team we love to follow.